


Or Are We Dancers?

by bearfeathers



Category: Cyborg 009
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearfeathers/pseuds/bearfeathers
Summary: 150 prompts for 150 words. (Romantic pairings will be displayed on each chapter, otherwise all fills are gen.)





	1. 001. Keepsake

It isn’t until they’re airborne that Joe realizes he’s still holding the ray gun 004 had tossed to him in a moment of desperation in their battle back on the ground. Awkwardly, he holds it out before him, silently offering to return it to its owner. The silver-haired cyborg’s head turns his way, a faint smirk on his face.

“Thanks for the offer, kid. Keep it.”

004 must be able to read the confusion on Joe’s face, because he lifts his right hand with a faint chuckle. A sound like a bullet being loaded into a chamber reaches the teen’s ears. Now that he thinks about it, perhaps someone whose body houses that many weapons doesn’t really need to be weighed down by any more. Clearing his throat, he offers a small nod of thanks and sheaths the ray gun in the empty holster at his hip.

* * *

The matter of ownership isn’t brought up again until quite some time later. Likely not the most convenient of times, but then these kinds of things so rarely happen at convenient times that he supposes he really shouldn’t be surprised. The cybernetic soldiers outnumber them to begin with, but Jet’s busted leg, a strategic retreat in order to regroup with the rest of their team is the best option. Joe really does plan on doing just that. It’s just that he hadn’t counted on his ray gun being knocked from its holster along the way.

He freezes where he is, Jet’s arm slung around his shoulders, when the missing weight finally registers. He looks back, frantically scanning the battlefield for where he may have dropped it. His momentary distraction does not escape the notice of his teammates.

“009, get a move on!” Albert hollers from where he’s providing cover fire. “I can’t exactly hold these guys off forever!”

“I just have to…” Joe mumbles, more to himself than anything else.

“009, what the fu—“

He doesn’t wait for Jet to finish the sentence. Spotting his ray gun, he depresses his back molar with his tongue, kicking into his acceleration mode. Everything slows down to a crawl as he zips towards his sidearm, retrieving it from where it lies and taking out a soldier or two for good measure while he’s there. With the ray gun securely in its holster, he’s back at Jet’s side as though he never left.

“—ck are you doing?” Jet grates angrily. He blinks, perplexed, having noted his comrade’s brief dip into acceleration mode. “009!?”

“Come on!” Joe shouts over the noise, pulling the American onto his back. “Let’s get out of here while we still can!”

Albert isn’t far behind them and once the way is clear, the three of them do their best to put some distance between them and their pursuers. Ten minutes later finds the trio squatting in a small, damp cave and catching their breaths.

“What the hell _was_ that?” Jet wants to know, grimacing as Albert ties his scarf around the joint of his knee. “You seriously went back for a stupid ray gun?”

“I have to admit, I’m rather surprised myself,” Albert chimes in. “It was a pretty foolish move considering we’re not exactly in short supply of them on the Dolphin.”

Joe feels heat rise to his cheeks.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he says, the ray gun in question held in his lap. “I just couldn’t bring myself to leave it behind.”

“Please don’t tell me it’s for some weird, bullshit sentimental reason,” Jet says flatly.

Joe coughs. Jet groans. Albert warns him to keep it down before someone hears them.

“It’s just that I’ve had this one since the first day I met all of you,” Joe says slowly. He glances over at Albert. “You tossed it to me when we were escaping and when I tried to give it back, you told me to keep it. Even though I know that’s not really what you meant by it, I’m not one to throw away something that was given to me. Especially not when it was given to me by a friend. Besides, it’s… sort of a good luck charm, in its own way.”

By the time Joe looks up, Jet and Albert are regarding him in a confused silence. It all sounded a lot better to him before he actually said it.

“Huh!” Jet says with a sly grin. “And here I thought it was _003_ you had a thing for.”

The implication is not lost on Joe.

“What? No!” he sputters. He turns to face Albert, sure his cheeks are a healthy fire engine red, “It’s not like that, honestly!”

“Relax,” Albert says with a quick bark of laughter, waving his hand. “I get it. Actually, it’s kind of flattering. It’s nice to know you feel that strongly about our friendship.”

“Well, yeah, of course I do,” Joe answers with an embarrassed huff of laughter.

“You guys are gonna make me barf,” Jet complains, leaning back against the cool wall of the cave.

“That’s just the injuries talking. We all know you’re a big softie under all that bravado,” Albert says, his expression smug.

As Jet and Albert dissolve into another of their famous arguments, Joe turns the ray gun over in his hands. A lot had changed the day he’d first picked this up. For all the terrible things that had happened to them, he finds that, as he watches his two companions, it’s not difficult to see the good that had come with it.


	2. 002. Bullet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac Gilmore has no place on the battlefield.

To any one of them, a bullet is nothing much. It can still be dangerous, certainly, but not in the way it can be for regular humans. Isaac Gilmore knows he has no place on the battlefield, but unfortunately, your enemies rarely afford you the luxury of choosing just where that battlefield will be and often just bring it to you instead. And in this case, that fact works against them.

Although the pain comes almost instantly, it takes his mind time to catch up, to process what’s happening. Lying on the damp earth, feeling a radiating pain as blood soaks into his clothing, he knows he’s been shot. The things which follow come in bits and pieces in his memory, but are as follows.

It’s 004 who calmly directs them, the mantle of leadership coming as naturally to him as it ever does, even amid crisis.

It’s 005 who carries him, shielding him against further injury, his gentle hold starkly contrasted by his great displays of strength.

It’s 002 who quickly retreats to the Dolphin and pilots her back to them, without even a word of protest when 004 asks this of him.

It’s 009 who buys them time, working his accelerator to the limit to take on as many as their foes as possible.

He loses consciousness at some point, though he’s not sure when. In the midst of this, he hears 001. Calm and easy, reassuring him that they’d gotten him help and that he will be alright. He wonders though, if all of them are. 001 sounds almost amused as he says Gilmore has nothing to worry about, insisting that he rest.

When he wakes, it’s to the sight of 003, with her kind demeanor and gentle heart, tending to him and doing everything she can to make sure he’s comfortable.

It’s 008 who keeps the perimeter while the Dolphin is submerged, tirelessly patrolling the sea around them to ensure they won’t be caught unguarded.

It’s 006 who comes to his bedside with tray after tray of homecooked meals, insisting he has to eat in order to keep his strength up.

It’s 007 who entertains him with a dramatic telling of his latest writing, inspired by recent events—and all greatly exaggerated, but enough to keep him occupied when he grows restless in his recuperation.

And it’s _all_ of them who eagerly welcome him back when he’s recovered. If they remain overly protective of him to the point of being smothering for some time after, he tries not to mention it. After all, that’s what families do.


	3. 00. Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jet and Albert agree to teach Joe to dance. Joe thinks he may have learned more than he was supposed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 009/003 + 004/002

“You’re sure you guys don’t mind?” Joe asks, closing the door behind him.

“Listen, the last thing I want is you fucking this up for Francoise,” Jet snorts. “So no, I don’t mind.”

“He means that we’re happy to help,” Albert adds with a smirk.

The American doesn’t exactly look _happy_ to help, but he had been oddly insistent about this. Joe had noticed before how protective of Francoise the two seemed to be and had always wondered if it had to do with their time together prior to being cryogenically frozen. None of them seemed to care to talk about it and Joe was never one to pry, so he’d always chalked it up to an assumption and left it at that. But now that Joe had decided to ask Francoise to marry him, he found himself running into Jet and Albert around every corner. And when Jet had found out that Joe didn’t know how to dance? Well, apparently, that was beyond reprehensible.

“She’s a professional dancer,” Jet insists. “So you’re not going to get anywhere near her level, but we have to make sure you can at least do more than trip over you own feet for her sake.”

“The first dance between a husband and wife is a very special thing,” Albert agrees, nodding sagely.

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Joe says bashfully. “We don’t even know if she’ll say yes.”

The American and the German exchange a glance. Even though the room remains silent, Joe knows he’s being laughed at. Albert shrugs, casting him an amiable smile.

“In any case, dancing is a good skill to have under your belt,” he tells Joe, watching as Jet crosses the room and places a disk on Mr. Kozumi’s old record player. The needle scratches before a soft, pleasant melody begins to play. “Now, you’ll observe us first as we explain each step and then once you’ve got it, we’ll move on to you practicing the steps yourself. Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Joe echoes.

“Alright. Well, since Jet is the taller one of the two of us, he’ll be taking the role typically designated for the man while I’ll be taking the role typically designated for the woman,” Albert explains.

“Should I call you ‘Alberta’?” Jet asks with a smirk offering his hand.

“Shut up,” Albert says flatly, placing his hand in Jet’s. “So, you’re going to want to watch your hand placement. Jet’s going to take my left hand in his right, like we’re doing now. Then he’ll place his left hand at my waist and I’ll rest my right hand on his shoulder.”

Joe listens intently as Albert continues to explain, but finds himself somewhat… distracted. For one thing, he notes that Jet is a surprisingly good dancer. It’s not something he would’ve expected, given the aerial cyborg’s tough demeanor, but then, Jet’s shown himself to be much more than that. The second thing Joe notes is how Jet and Alert seem to just _go_ together. There’s a certain fluidity that he’s positive has nothing to do with dancing. He’s not sure why he’d never noticed it until this moment, but now that he’s here, watching the two of them dance, it seems like the most natural thing in the world.

He finds himself hurriedly scanning recent memories, trying to find some sort of missed clue. A touch here? A smile there? Could he have really overlooked it? But maybe he’s just reading too much into this. He has to be. They’re just teaching him how to dance, that’s all.

…and _yet_.

“Joe, if you’ve got somewhere else to be, feel free to let yourself out.”

Albert's voice finally cuts through his thoughts and he flinches, cheeks reddening. He coughs, embarrassed at having been caught, but his fellow cyborgs only seem amused.

“Sorry, just… something on my mind,” Joe says. “I’ll pay attention, I promise.”

Somehow, he’s sure he’s getting more out of this lesson than he bargained for.


End file.
